


Arranged

by nct2amlove



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Age Difference, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, doyoung is misunderstood, jaehyun is angery, jaehyun is underage but nothing happens, mentioned!markhyuck, mentioned!taeten
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-19
Updated: 2019-07-19
Packaged: 2020-07-08 11:53:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19869214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nct2amlove/pseuds/nct2amlove
Summary: The day before his 21st birthday, Crown Prince Doyoung is told that he has been arranged to marry the prince of a neighbouring kingdom. Although he is not happy with the news, he understands that it is a part of his role as future king.However, Prince Jaehyun is nothing like he expected him to be. Namely, he's only just turned 16 years old and hell bent on cancelling this marriage.





	Arranged

**Author's Note:**

> Hi this is my second story and if you somehow read my first one that I never bothered to finish then hello i promise it will be finished one day! :D
> 
> For now enjoy the story idea i came up with randomly because i love dojae so much and brothers doyoung and jeno!

The land of Juniper was vast and had been divided into 5 kingdoms from ancient times. Among them was the kingdom of Neo that was one defined by its vibrant culture, reflective of the focus put on the arts and theatre. It was neither one of the largest or smallest in the land of Juniper but it remained peaceful with its neighbours, gaining most of its profit from fish and textile exports.

Only one family, the Kim family, had ever ruled over the kingdom and they were well-loved by the people for their advocacy of peace and their talent for arts that coursed through their bloodline. The current rulers, King Jongdae and Queen Sooyoung were renowned for their beautiful voices, often holding special events in the villages they watched over as a way of spreading joy and connecting with their people. They had two children who carried with them their own gifts.

The younger prince, Prince Jeno, was a wonderful dancer who was often able to move his audiences to the greatest of joys or most-heartbreaking griefs with the emotion he poured into every move.

However, the older son, Crown Prince Doyoung, had followed in his parents footsteps, having been born with a beautiful voice that had been rumoured to have brought the queen’s midwife to tears at his sorrowful wails when he had first been brought into the world.

Since then, even more rumours had arisen such as the crown prince having been just 7 years old when several visiting aristocrats had spotted him singing in the garden and attracting creatures of all sorts with his ethereal tone. These rumours swirled around every village centre but they were soon overshadowed by rumours of the boy’s arrogance and harsh countenance, claiming that although he had been called to perform in many villages, he had always refused on account of not wanting to lower himself down to interacting with his people.

As the crown prince never appeared in front of the people, he was gradually forgotten. Although Prince Jeno would often appear in productions and give impromptu performances when he visited different towns, Crown Prince Doyoung remained in the castle. Nevertheless, his name was still whispered at times, voices full of scorn and dislike with many dreading the day that he would inevitably be crowned king, others holding onto the hope that Prince Jeno would instead be given the throne.

Perhaps the kingdom of Neo’s only true opponent was the kingdom of Exotica, a neighbouring kingdom. The two powers had a long history of altercations with the rulers of each nation often not seeing eye to eye on various issues. The kingdom of Exotica was one full of forest and grounds rich with minerals and nutrients. They were mostly reliant on their wood exports and stone mines with their land spanning slightly greater than that of Neo’s, a frequent point of contention between the two.

The position of rulers had a messy history riddled with rebellion and court intrigue. However, the current ruling family, the Jung family, had maintained peaceful relations for the longest period of time and was well-loved by their people. The current rulers, King Yoonoh and Queen Sooyoung were fair and wise, having largely assisted in the restructuring of many villagers and ending much of the poverty and over population that had been a growing issue among their towns.

They had three sons who all had their own distinct personalities and strengths. The oldest, Crown Prince Taeyong was renowned for his beauty and pursued by many, both males and females alike, for his hand. He displayed the same cool level-headedness of his parents and his eventual ascent to the throne was highly awaited by the people. The youngest, Prince Jisung, was still young at only 10 years old but he was well-liked and had endeared himself to many due to his tendency to sneak out of the castle and explore different villages.

The middle child, Prince Jaehyun, was arguably the most beloved due to his strong aptitude for the art of war. Although he was only 15, he had, on several occasions, gone missing for several months, often sending the kingdom into panic, only to be found fighting alongside his people on the war front. His cheeky attitude but genuine care had struck at the people’s hearts and he was extremely respected for his top-tier skills that would strike down men much older than him.

Although these two kingdoms shared a bloody past, in recent times, particularly since the current rulers had come to power, they had experienced a period of peace and even tentative friendship. As the two began to settle their disputes both rulers looked for a more official and stronger way in which to seal their alliance. The upcoming 21st birthday of Crown Prince Doyoung gave way to a possible plan…

* * *

**The 41 st year, 1 month and 31st day under the reign of Emperor Kim XIX**

Doyoung sat back on his large plush chair, massaging his right shoulder as he tried to will away the dull ache that had settled in the back of his neck from staring at paperwork for several hours. He hummed lightly to himself as he tried to relax, a nonsensical tune that echoed around his large quarters. A sudden knock on the door caused him to immediately quiet as a maid cautiously entered the room.

‘Yes?’ Doyoung asked rather sharply.

‘C-crown Prince Doyoung, your parents request that you see them in the throne room…’ the maid said shyly, eyes locked on the marble floor in front of her rather than said prince. Doyoung huffed at the awkward tone of the maid and gave a grunt of understanding, a signal for her to leave which she took and almost dashed out of the room.

Roughly gathering together the documents he had been looking at, Doyoung quickly straightened out his clothes before wearily standing from his chair. His back cracked in protest of his extended time spent sitting and he stretched for a few more moments before schooling his features into one of bored indifference and making his way out of his quarters.

The main castle in which the royal family resided in for most of the year was extremely beautiful with cream marble floors, open windows and golden embellishments. Even as Doyoung walked down the same hallways for the millionth time, he couldn’t help but admire how the sunlight filtered in catching on the walls and decorations. Finally reaching the throne room in which his parents would have audiences with villagers todiscuss their concerns and pleas, Doyoung knocked before entering.

The throne room was made of the same cream marble and gold as the rest of the castle but there were also beautiful tapestries bright with different colours showing the history of the Neo kingdom. Doyoung slowly made his way down to the middle of the room where his mother and father sat on two golden thrones with intricate designs carved into them that glimmered in the light.

‘Mother, Father, you asked to see me?’ Doyoung asked stiffly with a small nod of his head. His father and mother beamed at him although Doyoung could see a hint of something else in their expressions that set a feeling of dread in his stomach.

‘Doyoung-ah as you know, your 21st birthday is tomorrow and… well we thought that it was time you started to think about marriage,’ his father started off gently as if not to startle his son. Doyoung remained expressionless although his parents could see the distaste that swirled in his eyes at the thought of marriage.

“Our relations with Exotica have been good in recent times and we thought that maybe as a way of solidifying our alliance, a marriage should be arranged between our two kingdoms,’ his mother continued on more bluntly. Thoughts swirled around in Doyoung’s mind as he recalled all his knowledge on the Jung royal family of Exotica.

‘…Is this with Crown Prince Taeyong?’ he asked finally. At the lack of an immediate answer, Doyoung looked at his parents questioningly noticing the pinched expressions boh wore.

‘…Actually it would be with their second son, Prince Jaehyun…’ his father offered softly. The name sunk into Doyoung’s mind before he widened his eyes, opening his mouth to protest,

‘But he’s 15!’

’16 in 2 weeks,’ his mother replied in an attempt to comfort her son.

‘He’s still a child!’ Doyoung exclaimed incredulously, the rocky peace he had been beginning to make with the idea of marriage completely shattering as he realised the age difference between him and his intended.

‘You wouldn’t be getting married straight away. The two of you will simply get to know each other, the actual marriage wouldn’t occur until his 18th birthday.’ His father said soothingly in an attempt to placate Doyoung’s growing panic.

“Why not Crown Prince Taeyong, we’re a year apart?’

‘He needs to rule Exotica once his parents step down and he has already been promised to marry another.’

‘Why not arrange this for Jeno, he-‘ Doyoung stopped himself as he realised that he had almost attempted to drag his brother down with him. Although he loved his parents dearly, his younger brother was the most important person in his life and Doyoung’s biggest fear was having Jeno be forced to do something he didn’t want to do which is exactly what an arranged marriage would’ve done to him.

A brief silence took over the three members of royalty as the king and queen watched Doyoung reason and argue with his own self. At last the prince asked defeatedly,

‘When does he arrive?’ The king and queen took this as a sign of his reluctant agreement with the arrangement and sighed in relief before his mother helpfully answered,

‘In 2 weeks so please ready yourself and be on your best behaviour.’

* * *

The 2 weeks before the scheduled arrive of Prince Jaehyun were perhaps the longest 2 weeks of Doyoung’s life. Each day he suffered through a cycle of extreme anger, panicked worry and grudging acceptance much to the amusement of his closest friend and advisor-in-training Nakamoto Yuta.

‘But how am I supposed to love a child Yuta?’ Doyoung asked his closest confidant for what felt like the millionth time already. Yuta only sighed resignedly as he repeated the same answer he had replied with every other time the prince had asked that question,

‘No one’s asking you to fall in love with him immediately. Just focus on becoming friends with him first and worry about love when he becomes of age.’

Doyoung only slumped uncharacteristically over his desk, forehead resting on the cold surface of the dark mahogany. In front of servants and even sometimes his parents, Doyoung maintained a cold and rather sharp demeanour but his walls came completely crashing down in the face of his best friend and his younger brother.

‘You need to stop dwelling on these worries Doyoung and just remember first-and-foremost that this is your duty as Crown Prince,’ Yuta replied, his words might’ve sounded harsh to someone listening on their conversation but Doyoung knew that he was just being realistic. Heaving a final sigh, Doyoung lifted himself to sit regularly at his desk before continuing his work looking at various documents. Yuta shuffled around for a few moments longer before also settling down opposite him and seeing to his own documents. The two worked in silence but it was comforting and relaxing as Doyoung let go of his worries and simply buried his mind in the recent affairs of his kingdom.

* * *

**The 41 st year, 2nd month and 14th day under the reign of Emperor XIX. **

The people of Neo stared as a large decorated carriage made its way down the cobbled street of the village in the direction of the palace. Both leading and following it were two smaller carriages that were equally as decorated. The people whispered to themselves as they discussed who could possibly be contained in the carriages. Nevertheless, the carriage did not stop even once as it soon left the villages to travel up to where the main castle of the Kim family stood proudly.

Unbeknownst to the villagers, the inside of the largest carriage was much less festive than its outer appearance as a boy sat cuddled up to an older man tears silently streaming down his puffy cheeks, an even younger boy observing sadly across from them.

Jaehyun sniffled quietly as he felt his tears being wiped away gently by his older brother who hummed soothingly as he did so. It was his 16th birthday today but he had not been able to celebrate and had instead been whisked away to a foreign land where he was to meet his betrothed, Crown Prince Doyoung.

He was no fool, he was aware of the rumours that surrounded the crown prince of Neo. That he had never shown his face to the public due to his disfigured face and arrogant personality. That in the span of 2 months, 7 maids had quit as a result of his bullying and mean behaviour. That he h’ad a voice gifted from the gods but refused to ever sing because he was selfish and stubborn in his ways. Jaehyun was terrified that he had been arranged to marry such a man and angry that he had no input on the matter. His older brother, Taeyong, had taken to gently carding his fingers through his hair as his tears failed to stop from flowing. Jisung, his younger brother had finally given up trying to give him space and had now moved to the other side of him wrapping his thin arms around Jaehyun’s miserable frame.

‘I don’t want to marry him.’ Jaehyun said in a small voice.

‘I know Jae, but it’s your duty as a prince…’ Taeyong said in a pained voice. He dearly wished that his younger brother wouldn’t have to do something he was so clearly against but he understood the commitment all three of the princes had to the kingdom of Exotica.

‘I’ve met Crown Prince Doyoung before, although it was only briefly when we were kids, and he is not what the rumours say.’ Taeyong comforted the still crying boy, bringing him even closer into his arms.

‘I-it doesn’t matter, I just w-want to go home…’ Jaehyun’s voice tapered off into a pitiful whine as a sob racked through his entire body. He loved his kingdom and he dreaded having to live somewhere else for the rest of his life away from his people and family.

‘You’ll still have Mark with you and Johnny and Jisungie will be accompanying you as well until your marriage.’

Although Taeyong’s words were meant to reassure his brother, Jaehyun only cried more, his tears becoming full-blown sobs as he buried his face into Taeyong’s chest. Continuing to brush his fingers through the younger boy’s hair Taeyong continued speaking,

‘Jae this is your duty as the second prince of Exotica. Although you’re still young and I wish you would’ve had more time to be free of your responsibilities, you still are not required to be married until your 18th birthday. Get to know Crown Prince Doyoung, although he has bad rumours circling him, don’t be swayed by them and instead make your own judgements. The two of you are not required to ever fall in love by any means but you will still need to form some sort of friendship if the two of you are to eventually rule over Neo.’

His older brother’s words of advice seemed to be the thing to finally calm Jaehyun down as he lifted himself up to look into Taeyong’s eyes.

‘What if we don’t become friends? What if we hate each other and he’s just like what the rumours say?’

Taeyong softly smiled as he stared back at Jaehyun.

‘Then I’ll make sure that the arrangement is cancelled and I will completely cut ties with Neo if I have to.’

* * *

Doyoung squirmed as he stood at the castle entrance waiting to greet his future betrothed and his two brothers. Yuta and Jeno stood on either side of him although Jeno was currently engaged in an active conversation with his personal attendant, Jaemin, to pass the time. Attempting to distract himself from his mind that was still swirling with different worries, Doyoung observed his younger brother laughing at something that Jaemin had told him.

Jaemin had been with Jeno for 4 years now. Despite being of the same age, Jaemin had shown from a young age that he was capable of attending to the youngest prince and they had grown to become extremely close friends. Although when Doyoung observed how their gazes lingered when the other wasn’t aware and the close proximity in which they often conversed with each other, he wondered whether it had grown to be much more than that.

Yuta nudged him out of his thoughts as in the distance, three carriages could be seen entering the castle gates.

‘Be nice.’ Yuta reminded him earning his own nudge in return as the the carriages finally pulled up in front of the castle entrance.

Doyoung could feel his hands getting clammy as the door of the largest carriage opened and a man he recognised as Crown Prince Taeyong stepped out with an expressionless face. Following him a young boy who looked to be about 10 years old also hopped out who Doyoung supposed was the youngest prince, Prince Jisung. The two leaned into the carriage both giving their support as the final occupant of the carriage stepped out.

Prince Jaehyun, whilst still young, was obviously going to grow up to be extremely handsome with extremely pale, smooth skin a built frame despite his young age and handsome though slightly rounded features that would no doubt sharpen as he grew older.

As the three princes made their way up the steps to where Doyoung and his entourage were waiting to greet them, Doyoung noticed the youbnger boy’s red-rimmed swollen eyes and the flush of his cheeks signalling that he had been crying up until not too long ago.

When the three had finally ascended the stairs with Taeyong in the lead, Yuta stepped forward.

‘Crown Prince Taeyong, Prince Jaehyun and Prince Jisung, we humbly welcome you to the kingdom of Neo. I am the court advisor-in-training, Nakamoto Yuta, please feel free to approach me for any questions or requests you might have and I will try to accommodate you as much as possible.’

As Yuta finished his welcome speech, the three nodded their heads in acknowledgement before Taeyong turned to face Doyoung.

‘Crown Prince Doyoung, it’s been quite a while but you seem to be doing well.’ Taeyong’s voice while pleasant and courteous on the surface had a cold undercurrent to it matched with his intense piercing gaze Doyoung knew that the other prince was well-known for.

‘Thank you Crown Prince Taeyong, it appears that you’ve also been well.’ Doyoung replied shortly with a small acknowledging nod of his head. The two briefly shook hands before Taeyong turned to wear his two brothers stood, one looking around with childish curiosity and the other staring resolutely at the floor.

‘These are my brothers, the youngest, Jisung who just turned 11 just over a week ago and of course, Jaehyun.’ While the younger prince when introduced turned to bow in greeting, Jaehyun kept his eyes glued to the floor even at the mention of his name.

‘A pleasure.’ Doyoung said rather sharply although he inwardly winced knowing that he had been overly short to his guests. Trying to make up for it he quickly gestured for Jeno to step forward as he introduced him, ‘This is my younger brother, Jeno, he will be turning 15 in a few months now.’ Jeno bowed deeply as he softly greeted the three before stepping back again.

Taeyong turned to Jaehyun, nudging him to say something but the young boy stayed quiet still refusing to look up. Sighing quietly, Taeyong sent the other crown prince a small apologetic look.

‘I hope we can learn to get along.’ Doyoung directed mostly at Jaehyun who finally looked up only to glare back at him.

‘I’d rather not thank you very much.’ Jaehyun snapped rudely earning a sharp jab and disapproving glance from his older brother. Doyoung felt a twinge of annoyance at the rough behaviour of the second prince and decided to excuse himself before he became properly angry.

‘Well then, I’ll leave Yuta here to lead you to your quarters, please enjoy your stay.’ Doyoung said coldly giving a small bow before making his way back into the castle as Jeno hurried to follow behind him, giving his own hasty farewell and a quick disapproving glare at Jaehyun before also heading back into the castle. 

**Author's Note:**

> Please give kudos and comment if you enjoyed!
> 
> Twitter/CC: @nct2amlove


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